


Love Songs in Age

by ura_nium



Series: and your compass be true [3]
Category: Wonder Woman (2017), Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Violence, Mentions of War, Physical Disability, Romance, WWII, World War II, mentions of human experimentation, mentions of physical abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-22 22:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11389476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ura_nium/pseuds/ura_nium
Summary: They are together again, and for a brief moment, they forget that fate is not on their side.





	Love Songs in Age

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from the poem below, by Philip Larkin, about a widow who finds her stock of music vinyls containing songs about love, and reminisces how love changes with age, afterwhich she ponders about how the imagined romance always falls short of expectations, how temporal love is, and (bitterly) that love always disappoints.
> 
> This can be taken to be either Steve or Diana, depending on how you see things. The chapter begins right after Steve leaves Diana at the carpark of the _Olympiastadion Berlin_ , and ends **within** the 2 days time skip. The bookends of this story can be found [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11233578/chapters/25474587).
> 
> To facilitate your reading of this chapter:   
> "Underlined Speech is in German"  
> " **Bold Speech is in Italian** " and  
> " _Italicized speech is in Japanese_ "
> 
>  
> 
> **Ages:**  
>  **Charlie - Born in 1885**  
>  **Chief - anywhere between 30-40**  
>  **Diana - anywhere between 25-35**  
>  **Etta - Born in 1895**  
>  **Sameer - Born in 1880**  
>  **Steve - Born in 1892**
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: If I owned these characters I wouldn't be here, I'd be at DC trying to get them to revive Steve.
> 
> As usual, all grammar mistakes are mine, I may come back and correct them if I spot them in my re-reads.
> 
> Happy reading!

                                                                    

 

* * *

 She makes a point to ask the cab driver for the date, as well as the day of the week. If he is puzzled by her request, he hides it well. So it is surprising for her to find that the coffee shop is quiet, for the fact that it is lunch hour on an August Tuesday. She is, at present, one of the only four customers of the establishment; seated by the window with a cup of hot chocolate, she watches the afternoon go by outside. It is a beautiful day that is going ostensibly unappreciated.

Someone goes to the mantel of the shop's small fireplace, turns up the volume of the small wireless there. Her ears perk as she hears snippets of news relayed in German about the ongoing 'games'. It seems like the event she left prematurely is where the hubbub was at… it made sense now, that it would be there that the gods found the most strength. She has managed to link the name Olympics to Olympia in Greece, where Mount Olympus can be found, and where the gods originally resided. Now that their stronghold has been consumed by Ares' wrath and his minions, it makes sense they would seek some other place for them to restore their energy, even if it meant they would have to move to whichever site had the most capacity to host them.

Perhaps she should go back to the stadium, see if she can get through with the gods, let them know about the crimes Ares has committed and the tragedy he has unleashed upon this world. Surely the only thing keeping them regenerating faster was the lack of a proper drive; her news should be motivation enough for them to get a move on.

The radio does half-hourly updates of the games, and Diana is heartened to hear that the African American she had been watching earlier not only swept past the competition in the succeeding rounds, but continue on to cinch the gold medal at the end of the event. Oh, what a glorious day, and to later find out that the man and the competitor who aided him in the qualifying round had linked arms and paraded around the stadium without shame.

She thought it would be difficult to feel unhappy with such a result, from two sporting competitors who bore no hatred for each other over their mutually dependent victory and loss. But the atmosphere in the shop is as thick as London's fog and as heavy as a swollen rain-cloud. Not all these people were happy, and their dislike for the outcome overwhelmed the victorious feeling that would otherwise succeed such a harrowing win.

Perhaps this is what Steve was talking about, the escalating conflict amongst the people, arising due to tensions of race and other differences. Once again, she is frustrated by the basis of the displeasure felt by mankind. Why is it that appearance or the origin of birth governs so much of their worldview, and twists the kindest individual into a malicious one? To quell her turbulent thoughts, she orders a bowl of ice cream. The delicacy is as good as the first time she tasted it, maybe even better, for it was of a different species. Gelato, she believes this species was called. It was marvelous.

Steve appears at a quarter to 7, just as she is considering forfeiting her post here in the gradually filling cafe. The stadium has to be considerably less crowded now… but she couldn't choose her own concerns, about Ares abusing his power, over Steve and humankind. Whatever war he was talking about, she is determined to help out in any way possible, just like she did in the last. She and Steve, they will nip the chaos in its bud this time, and they will do it as they have always done, _together_.

He sweeps in, wearing a trench coat, no longer in his dress uniform, but in a simple suit and tie, blending in well with working class. However, she notes immediately that he is limping discreetly.

"Diana." The way he says her name when he reaches her table is the same, yet there is a twinge of bitterness, a shade of quiet depression that was not there before. She realises, with a sour taste on her tongue that she is the cause of his sorrow, like she was the cause of so many others.

"Are you alright?" He shrugs stiffly.

"Long day. Had to ferry all the higher-ups back and forth, and the seat always screws with my back." Steve catches sight of her look of concern, and exhales heavily, "It's a chronic issue now, Di. Nothing any of us can do about it, and it isn't your fault. I wouldn't have gotten better, even if you were around to take care of me. Everyone knew that. I am lucky I can even walk."

His bitter bluntness floors her, and she doesn't know what to say for a beat. They sit in that silence for a while, when a waiter comes with a menu.

"Do you want anything to drink?" She changes the subject, hoping to ease the tight lines of wariness she could see on his face. Steve nods mutely and turns to the waiting server, a neutral expression plastered on his face.

"Hi Rudy, can I get my usual, please?" His request is received with a friendly smile and a cheery "Yes, sir." Just before he moves away, the boy's eyes flit over to Diana as he spares her a curious look, a look vastly different from that stony set she had spied on his young face, as they heard Jesse Owens grasp the victory earlier on. It is truly strange, how an antagonist can so quickly turn into an amicable party, from the perspective of an oblivious onlooker. It is… well, disconcerting, but intriguing all at once.

Just then, Steve clears his throat; " **Did you hear about that American's win?** "

Her gaze snaps back to him at his sudden switch of language, from English to Italian.

"Why—"

" **Walls have ears, doors have eyes; best we take caution.** "

She switches as well, " **You can speak Italian, and German?** "

" **And Japanese, to a small extent. I have always known how to speak German, but I only picked up Italian and Japanese when I got assigned here.** ”

" **I never knew.** "

" **Well** ," Steve gives a wry smile, " **We did not have as much time together as I would’ve preferred… and a lot can change in 16 years.** "

At this, Diana sobers. She looks directly into the man's eyes and expresses, in an apologetic tone, " **I did not know that I would be gone for so long.** "

" **It matters very little now.** " Comes a reply. They are interrupted by a waiter with a cup of steaming coffee, and a slice of cake. He thanks the young man and pushes the plate towards Diana as the server leaves.

" **This is Bienenstich, more commonly known as Bee Sting Cake. It’s one of my favorites. You must be hungry...** " He allows himself a chuckle when he sees her expression. " **Don't worry, there are no actual bee stings in it.** "

She takes a tentative bite of cake and manages to prevent herself from crying out in delight. " **It is delicious.** "

"Knew you would like it." He switches back to English, smiling at her genially. "Listen, why not you finish this, and I take you out on the town tonight?"

She raises a brow. His tone has changed, becoming light and casual. Unlike the heavy and grave one he took with her when he was speaking Italian. Clearly something is wrong, but she understands. So she plays along, smiling bashfully.

"I would love that."

The relieved smile that takes over his face tells her everything else she needs to know.

* * *

"The manager was watching us." He explains as soon as they step into the car. "He knew something was up when he heard me speaking Italian, and it likely became apparent that despite the fact that I am a regular, something was going on."

"Alright. So where are we going?"

"I am going home, and so are you." She turns about in surprise.

"Home? As in London? Or--"

"Themyscira. I am putting you on the nearest train back to London. Sammy will be waiting for you, he will return you the boat we sailed to London in."

"Sammy? How is Sammy? And Etta, Chief, and Charlie?"

"I just dropped Charlie a call, he is ecstatic to know that you're back. I would know, my ears are still ringing from the conversation. When he hung up, he said he was gonna 'go righ'on over to Sam's and tell 'im the good news, aye'." Steve does his best impression of their friend's accent, and both of them share a private smile over that.

"Sammy's as fine as he can be. I asked him to take over the upkeep of the boat when I had to leave. Chief is back in America, married with a kid on the way. Etta—" Steve hesitates.

"What? Etta what?"

"She resigned shortly after you vanished. Didn't say why. She still writes to me now and then, but since tension started mounting again, it has been hard to get through to her. She doesn't want to hear about our work or the fighting — said she couldn't bear to go through another war, again. The way it sounds, it seems she got married and is settled in with her parents and she is afraid her family will be lost to all this fighting.  "

Her heart sinks like a boulder. Etta was one of the bravest people she knew, she did not deserve to live in fear that harm would come to her loved ones. This settles it. She is not leaving. Not again. Steve cannot make her, not even Ares can.

"I am staying."

"What? No, no you can't!"

They screech to a stop at a traffic light, narrowly missing running the red. Steve looks at her and she stares right back, putting on her most defiant mask.

"Diana, I am not kidding, you can't stay. You have to go home."

"I will stay. You cannot tell me what I can or cannot do."

"I am not telling you what you can or can’t do," Steve runs a hand through his hair, "It's just… I am in the middle of a very important investigation, and too much hinges on this. Too many lives will be lost, too many lives _are_ already lost. You shouldn't even be here—"

"What investigation? I can help." The light turns green and they move off, turning into a smaller street.

"Not this time."

"Tell me why not."

"This is different. This war is different."

"How is it different? It is still man against man, there are still people dying. Everything is equal in life, everything is equal in death. I am the defender of life, fighter for compassion and love. Tell me why I can't step in."

With a jerk of frustration he pulls into a parking lot and turns to her, mouth half open in preparation to face protest. She squares him up, chin thrust in the air. Steve has a look in his eyes, that look he used to give her when she said something devastatingly idealistic, and he was torn between dragging a hand down his face and taking her face and kissing her full-on. She could feel an involuntary smile itching at her lips — some things never really did change.

They glare at each other for a few beats more, before she finally heaves a sigh.

"Please. Steve." He blinks and turns to face the front again, eyes firmly on his hands, "Let me help. I can help. You know I can."

She reaches over and places her hand on his, gripping his paling knuckles. His fist is as tight as a coiled spring, but at her touch, it immediately, instinctively loosens. She pries it off the wheel, and lets him pull it onto his lap, interlacing their fingers. The whole time, she notes that his eyes do not leave her hand, as if he is ascertaining if she is truly, and entirely corporeal.

She waits patiently.

Finally, he lets go of a breath, sounding incredibly exhausted. He puts the car into park, turns off the engine, and unlocks the door.

She is still waiting. He squeezes her hand.

"Come with me. There is a place we need to go to first."

* * *

The 'somewhere' turns out to be a hole-in-the-wall jeweller. Its storefront is dark and gloomy, and it looks like no one is in.

Steve raps smartly on the door, twice, then after a short pause, three times. There is the sound of something inside shifting, then what sounds like several collective voices respond all at once, softly, in German.

"Great minds think alike."

" _But fools rarely differ._ " Steve's Japanese response allows for a click in the door clasp, and it swings open.

"Mark, Len, this is Diana; Diana, meet Mark and Leonard, Len for short."

Standing behind the door is the strangest pair of men she has ever seen. The taller of them has skin dusted a dull rusty red, as if he had some sort of skin condition, and looks rather peeved at the intrusion. Beside him is a stocky man who looks younger and is smiling at her quite amicably, showing none of the displeasure the other shopkeeper appears to feel. His face is grayish and pale, but he seems to be in perfect health. Both are dressed in threadbare clothes, looking as though they were not expecting visitors.

"Steven, what is the meaning of this?" Demands the red man, Mark, waving his arms at her. He has the letters 'Hg' tattooed stylistically on his exposed forearm-- she wonders what it is for. "You know that Dr. Magnus does not like unexpected visitors, don't you? Who is this woman?"

"I am sure that Magnus wouldn't mind a little visit every once in a while, Mark." Len holds out a hand to her, which she takes readily. It is cold in her hand, and feels odd and slippery. But this man has been nothing but pleasant her, so she decides to refrain from interrogating him. When he turns, she spots a 'Pb' tattooed behind the lobe of his left ear, in the same manner that Mark's is. Strange.

"I'm not here for Magnus, guys. I need Tim, and maybe even Goldberg. Where are they?"

"He is out with the doc, running errands." A quiet voice echoes from the back of the store. A skin-and-bone man appears, eyes darting furtively from Steve to Diana. His skin is similar to Len's, if possible, more gray, containing almost a silvery sheen, like he is perspiring. He too has a tattoo, but his is easier to hide— it is on his left breast, and she can only see it because the shirt he is wearing is tattered and torn. His spells 'Sn'.

"Why are you here? You shouldn't be here -- did you make sure no one followed you here?"

"Hello, Tim. Tim, Diana; Diana, Tim. And yes, I made sure, I just need help something, real quick." He beckons her and takes her hand, gently, once she is close enough. Her heart leaps at the touch, "I need a man's ring of this exact make and look, for a disguise. Do you have any in stock? If not, I will wait for Goldberg."

"Well, I am sorry, but we don't." the small man replies sharply, not even bothering to check.

Steve makes a sceptical sound at the back of his throat; Mark rolls his eyes as Len starts to speak.

"What do you need it for?"

"I am going to a celebration at the laboratory tomorrow evening — one of Mengele's pet projects has yielded promising results, apparently. That is when I will be infiltrating the place to extract and destroy the information about the meta experimentation projects and break the subjects out."

All three men stiffen at his words. Mark's jaw falls open slightly. It was Tim who regains his verbal abilities first.

"You… you weren't lying? About saving them?"

"Of course I wasn't," she has no idea what they are talking about. "I promised Penny and Iro I would go back for them, didn't I."

Suddenly Mark looks like he is wilting. Diana  is startled to see that there are tears on Tim's eyes as he abruptly moves forward, movements jerky, to grip Steve by the forearms.

"You can bring them back? Is it even—"

"Yes, I made a deal with all of you when you first came to my assistance, remember? And a deal is a promise, and a promise is unbreakable."

He gives her a quick glance when he says this, knowing that she would pick up on it. Her heart warms like a fire. Those words belong to her, she said that to him, years and years ago.

"Here." All four of them startle — Diana did not notice Len leave the room and return. She has been too busy trying to keep up with the conversation.

"It should be your size, and it's approximately the same colour." Len says softly, holding out a copperish-gold ring in his palm, "As for the engraving…"

The four men turn their eyes to Tim, who takes the ring without a second word and, wiping away the unshed tears with his unoccupied hand, settles down behind the counter lined with rows and rows of jewellery, at a rugged table cluttered with bits of metal and chiselling tools.

"Diana, are you able to remove your ring?"

"If I remove it, Ares will know."

"Figures. Sit here." He pulls out a chair for he to sit facing Tim, so he can reference her ring.

Mark paces and Len as Tim works — the man is meticulous in his craft, and the greek markings are copied make it almost identical. When she makes to stop him at several points to modify the engraving so the ring will not have the same curse as hers does, Steve stops her.

"What better way to have two rings giving off the same signal, with Ares possibly keeping an eye on things?"

"But then Ares would be able to track both my ring and this one…" then it dawns upon her, "he wouldn't know who to follow. That could be a decoy, and we could put it wherever, as long as it does not enter an area it isn’t supposed to, Ares—"

"I know." Steve flashes her one of his ear-splitting smiles. He looks younger when he does that, but it seems he hasn't done that in a while.

The markings burn like angry coals when Tim sets them with a torch, but unlike regular metal, they continue to glow viciously, after the ring is cooled in a bucket of ice water. Steve hands it to her and she examines it.

She can feel heat radiating off the ring, a sign thay it is imbued with power, but while the ring is indeed emitting an active aura, the engravings are still carved by a mortal, so it is not as powerful as the one forced upon her by the God of War.

"Is it good?" She nods and passes it back to him. He turns it once between his fingers, running a finger over the engraving, and before any of them can stop him, he slips it on his ring finger, left hand.

"Steve! No, what are you doing?!"

Now Ares has power over both her and the man. She expresses this exact thought, to which he replies, "That is precisely what I am counting on."

Steve turns to his strange friends, who are mutely watching their exchange, as if this is not the first time they have seen someone put themselves in danger for another. The haunted look in all of their eyes stuns her into silence.

"Tim, Mark, Len, thank you all so much for your help. It will be best if all of you start packing up, and getting ready to get out of here as well. Tell Magnus and Goldberg as well."

"What? Why?"

"Mark, do I really need to spell it out for you?"

"But this is our home, we have lived here all our lives!" Cries Mark.

Steve pauses, before drawing back his hand, fingers closing over the ring. He closes his eyes and says, so softly that Diana barely catches it.

"No, it isn't, not anymore."

The three men fall silent.

"This world we know is dying. It is ending, and for the sake of our future, our time here must end as well."

* * *

 Steve's current apartment is not new, but not as well-lived in as the previous, the one they bought together. It is furnished in rich tones of maroon, brown, and gray, much like their old home. She wonders how long he has been here, and if their old apartment was still standing empty, in London.

"Cover your ears for a bit." Diana does so accordingly, watching quizzically as Steve snaps on a pair of strange looking earmuffs and pulls a device out of his pocket.

He flips a switch and the contraption starts to emit some sort of sound wave. She can barely hear it, but she can feel it vibrating in her teeth.

"What is that for?" She says as he removes the muffs.

"To short out any bugs." He stows the device back into his coat, "Hearing devices that could possibly be implanted by other spies. I don't want anyone to be listening in on any of my conversations, if I can help it."

"But you're not… a spy anymore, right?" She watches as he hangs his coat and hat with a wince and drops into a seat by the door to undo his shoes. His back is still troubling him.

"Not… exactly. I've been assigned to work undercover."

"Here? In Germany? For who?"

"The Nazis. Germans."

Suddenly, it all makes sense. Führer, Schmidt. Wagner. The bad guys. It is like the first war all over again, and Steve's back on the wrong side of the front. Still on the wrong side of the front, still in constant danger of being discovered. Resisting the urge to sigh, she drops her hat at the hanging rack, feeling Steve's eyes on her back.

"What's wrong?"

She shrugs off her woolen cape, and starts pulling off her leather gloves.

"So... who gave you the clothes? Do you have a God of Fashion?" She chortles softly at the remark, and his subtle attempt at humor.

"No, we don't. I stole them off an unfortunate young lady on my way to the stadium." The aghast expression that takes over his face makes her laugh, properly this time.

"I am just pulling your leg." She walks over to the dining table, placing the gloves beside a notebook littered with Steve's scrawl. She picks it up. "Mesembria and Hesperia, goddess of the noon and dusk respectively, they dressed me. They are very aware of the present day fashion trends because they are present in Man's World during the two most interesting periods of the day, or so they say."

"You don't sound... convinced."

"I personally prefer mornings. Waking up." _With you_ , she doesn't say. Steve hums by the way of a reply, and she hears him get up and come over to peer over her should. Diana waves the notebook written in German.

"This is...?"

"My records. For work."

"British Intelligence?"

"No, Gestapo. That's where I have been stationed. I keep all the information I have for my real bosses up here." He taps his skull, before fishing the book out of her hands to flip idly through it. But she is not done with her questions

"What is… Gestapo?"

"The German Secret State Police."

"It's… dangerous?"

"I—"

He stops himself, looking up at her. The distance between them has somehow managed to shrink such that they are a hair's breadth apart. His eyes widen at the proximity; her heart stutters as she takes in his face.

"Steve."

"I have missed you too." He blurts, quite unexpectedly. And then promptly reddens, averting his gaze. His hands hang forlornly by his side, so she entwines their fingers together.

“Oh, Steve.” She murmurs. He releases her hand and pulls her into a tender embrace.

“I think about you every day, since you left. And every night, I dream about you.” He confesses, awkward and shy. Diana reaches her arms up to wrap them around his back, relishing in the familiar feeling of his warmth.

“So do I, my love. I am sorry I had to leave you for so long.”

“It has been difficult.”

“I know, I know…”

She buries her face deeper into his shoulder. He sighs contentedly, planting a feather-light kiss against her forehead, like he always used to do, then she feels his shoulders slump quite abruptly.

"But we can't do this now. There is no time to waste. We need to plan for the operation…"

"There is always time for a shower, is there not?"

"Angel!" Her nickname slips past his lips, almost instinctively. She smiles impishy at his incredulous tone. He takes a moment to recover from his shock, by which time, she has found his hand and laced their fingers together again. Their hands fit like two pieces of a puzzle.

"So...?"

He rubs a hand on his prickly jaw and allows himself an amused chuckle.

"Okay, we'll take a quick shower, and then we get started on work. Proper work. Alright?"

"Sounds like a plan." She breathes, already running her hands down his vest, fingertips grazing the buttons, and then undoing them . "We have time. Lots of time. A whole night's worth— and we have it with each other."

She emphasizes on the last statement, an unspoken promise that she would not leave him again. He seems to understand it and hums approvingly, and finally, after an entire day of stalling, Steve pulls her close for a deep kiss. After all these years, he still tastes the same, spearmint, something warm and solid; he still tastes like Steve, still tastes like home.

“I’ll even give you a massage before we start work.” She breathes as they pull apart. Steve’s throaty chuckle fills her ears like the sweet chorus of a running river, making her heart thirst for more.

Gods above.

Yes, they definitely have time for this.

* * *

 Less than 24 hours later, they find themselves in the car, dressed to the nines and well on their way to the celebration. From what Diana understands, the lab is located in the suburbs of Berlin, close to the border. They are to attend the grand reveal of a recent breakthrough one of the scientists there had made, Steve as the decorated General Josef Wagner, and Miss Diana Meyer as his fiancée.

She swallows and glances outside the window. This laboratory is one of a kind, specially commissioned by the Gestapo to manufacture weaponry… but not just any kind of weaponry. They are weaponizing living, breathing humans. The scientists involved were doctors. Prior to the war, they would have held a position not dissimilar to the healers on Themyscira, their duty being to heal and remedy. But these doctors have forsaken that path to pursue different, more cruel things. She cannot fathom cutting open a living, breathing being just to alter their inner workings and make them "better" by changing what they fundamentally were. Implanting foreign appendages and organs, injecting serums to render genetic mutation… it is horrible.

This is where Steve's friends come in. Well, not Mark, Leonard, and Tim, or the mysterious Goldberg or Magnus, who she never got to meet. Penny and Iro are the ones in trouble; they were captured when the group, with Steve's indirect assistance, discovered the lab and attempted to enter it. They were after their nemesis, Chemo, whose activity could be traced to the laboratory where it halted. While Mark, Goldberg, Tim, and Len managed to escape mostly unscathed, Penny and Iro were not as lucky. It is pure chance that "Josef Wagner" manage to elude discovery as well, but perhaps neither situation would hold true for long.

Chemo, the villain that the team was after, had too been captured by the Nazis — the new German government presiding over all of Germany. These humans do not differentiate between good or evil, right or wrong, as evidenced by their horrific techniques. She did not know how much of their behavior was influenced by Ares, but that was not her main concern now; her primary concern was how to preserve as much life as possible, while ensuring that this sort of thing never occurred again

They imprisoned individuals based on one criteria: they all have metahuman abilities.  Upon their capture, these individuals are subject to relentless testing and interrogation to reveal the locations of other metas. People similar to them, their friends and family. All this for the Nazi's purpose of replicating the powers of these humans in their own soldiers, to create a superpowered army loyal to them.

The evening sky is purple, streaked red; this is gradually shaping up to be a grueling night. Her evening gown isn't hers — before leaving the jeweler's, Steve sized her up and borrowed one of Penny's outfits from the boys. They loaned her an entire ensemble, a shimmering gold gown, with accessories to match. If they were lucky, Penny would be lucid and alert enough to notice her gown on the princess, and be able to ready herself and the other metas for extraction.

The plan is a straightforward one, even though to achieve it, Diana has to be actively involved in certain aspects, something Steve is not very happy about. Diana understands his sentiments — he never enjoyed seeing her put herself out on the line, just as she does not like to see him do the same. But sometimes, they had to set that aside. For the greater good of humankind...

They halt at the guard house of the lab, and Diana readies herself with a deep breat, bracing for any possible questions or suspicious looks. She has rehearsed her role tonight endlessly since last night, both in her head and with the help of Steve. Tonight, she is with Herr Wagner tonight as Miss Diana Meyer, enchanting, yet mysterious spouse who appeared out of nowhere, demanding to be noticed.

While she charmed them with her striking character, she has been tasked with communicating her plan of escape to the metas that are to be put on display for the audience. They are both hoping that Penny or Iro would be present for her to alert them. Meanwhile, Steve would steal into the offices and obtain the material he needed to explain to his superiors why he decided to break his cover and raze the facility to the ground.

The party is in full swing when they arrive, although the presentation has yet to begin. When Diana enters, she notices the immediate hush that falls over the crowd, particularly the males in the room.

She feels his hand in hers. And holds on tight.

"Let's do this."

They go over to a formidable looking man a head taller than Diana, easily in his late 40s or early 50s, wearing a dress uniform similar to Steve's and surrounded by associates. Steve goes straight over and alerts the man to his presence by clearing his throat and greeting the other with a smart salute.

"Herr Müller." The man turns, a large, vicious-looking smile stretching across his face. He claps a heavy hand on Steve's shoulder, booming. "Wagner! We thought you weren't going to show. Schmidt said you had a... family affair to deal with."

The burly man's eyes roamed to her, and widens as he takes in her face, her body, just about every part of her, as if she were a piece of meat.

"My, my."

"Schmidt was not wrong, but I managed to resolve it in time to make an appearance here. Herr Müller, this is my fiancée Diana. Sweetheart, this is Herr Heinrich Müller, Chief of the Gestapo, and the brilliant mind behind this entire project, the one I told you about in the car, remember?"

"I do, but the details of your explanation were a little lost to me." She smiles bashfully and dips her head in a graceful bow, "What a pleasure to finally meet you, Herr Müller, Josef told me a great deal about the great deeds you have done for this country."

"Diana," the lieutenant general takes her hand to kiss, "Please, the pleasure is all mine."

They mingle for a while, and Diana could start to see why Steve thought this role was good for her. Müller is very interested in her, likely due to her looks more than her personality, and it helps that she is intellectually capable of keeping an audience of him, as well as his other older, but no less lecherous, subordinates. In less than an hour, she finds herself the center of a lot of attention by said men, as the women they brought with them soon become conspicuously sidelined. She casts them an apologetic look once in a while, but is granted nothing but cold stares.

At approximately half past 8, just as the presentation was about to begin, Steve excuses himself quietly, citing he needed a breather. Under normal circumstances, Diana is sure his subordinates would have protested, but somehow, Diana's company has rendered them entirely indifferent to his presence. They don’t even seem perturbed by her skin color, something that Schmidt was so particular about. When you were this high up in the food chain, it was more likely for you eat, than to get eaten.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our honorable generals and lieutenants, your attention, if you would please." An old scientist with a remarkably shrewd look in his eye steps up onto an elevated platform that has been placed in front of several large containers with plain white tarps draped over each of them to obscure their contents. "Welcome. I am Dr. Mengele, head scientist here at this facility. Thank you all for coming tonight.”

Mengele. The man that Steve mentioned to Mark, Tim, and Len; she decides to listen closely.

“I am sure everyone here is excited to see what are in the crates behind me, but before we begin, I would like to say a few words. After which we will get on to viewing little... pet project, as I like to put it.

"Since the dawn of man, humans have exerted our great prowess over the world about us, prevailing over every other species with our intellect and knack for innovation. However, there is something we have always struggled to gain control over, that we have struggled to change — ourselves." The man looked over his steel-framed spectacles at the crowd, scanning their faces for a response; she wonders if he could spot her frown in the sea of approving nods and murmurs.

"Now, we struggle no more. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, I give you, the Felines!"

At his cue, two assistants dragged the covers one of the boxes, revealing them to be cages. In each, there were chains and a bowl of water, and something… or rather, someone.

"There is Cheetah, and this here is Panther, but she," he gestures the black figure in the cage on his right hand side. "Prefers to be called Pantha, don't you my darling?"

As if knowing that it was being summoned, the black creature at the back of the cage unfurls. A pair of lemon yellow eyes flicker open, incandescent against the solid mass of black. They blink lazily in the glaring lights surrounding the display area.

"There you go. My dear, come along to the front so we can see you."

Diana feels her heartbeat quicken as Pantha yawned, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth, but its mouth was too small to belong to as large a cat as an actual panther.

The being steps up to the front, gradually drawing to full height. The chains around her wrists and neck rattle. When she finally comes fully into the light, there is a collective gasp. A feeling akin to horror fills Diana.

This is not an animal, it is a human.

Her body is covered with sleek and fine ebony fur, her ears shape up to two rounded points, situated near her temples. Her eyes were entirely yellow, save for her black pupils. Her hair is matted and long, cascading in hazel tresses down her shoulders and back. A long black tail darts against her ankles, flicking back and forth sharply, as if she is not too pleased with being roused. Shackles encircle her forearms and neck, but they are clearly hated items — there is barely any fur around her wrists and the skin of that area is rubbed raw. Under the rich black fur that covers her entire body, Diana can see that her face is young; she cannot be more than 16 years of age.

A man pulls away from the crowd and advances towards the cage; Diana recognises him as one of the higher-ranking generals, Herr Conti, as he had previously introduced himself to her.

"What are her capabilities?”

 _"_ Stealth. Also, at this size, she is perfect for slipping through ventilation systems, small spaces. She is also quite adept at hand to hand combat." Dr. Mengele waves a hand to one of his assistants, who tugs the chain of the neck shackle. The girl balks at the motion and snarls, baring her teeth at the perpetrator. "See those? Her teeth are sharp enough to rip through steel. We know; we learnt the hard way. Which is why the cage is now made of a mix of platinum and steel, and reinforced with electricity."

The laugh he gives is filled with cruel mirth. Diana shoots him a glare just as one of the women points to the back of the cage and exclaims, "Good grief, what is that!"

All eyes follow her finger to another furred mass, lying curled up at the back of the enclosure. It has a different coating, and is significantly smaller than the panther girl, which is why they did not spot her at first.

"Ah, yes. This is our little gem, Cheetah. She similar to our dear Pantha here, but the genes we spliced her with are from a cheetah. She is a fiesty little girl, we had to sedate her this morning. Kicked up a fuss when she woke, didn't you?"

When the lump of ochre, white, and black-spotted fur does not move, the old man's face shrivels up in annoyance and signals the men at the control panel. There is a pause, then an electrical hum fills the area and there is a loud snapping sound, like a whip cracking. The cheetah-human yowls and jumps away from the corner she had been in. Diana blanches at the cruelty, and unable to block out the stench of scorched fur and flesh.

"This subject is older than Pantha, even though she looks smaller." The doctor explains as his helpers push her towards the audience. "Her petite stature is a result of her background, prior to the alterations we made to her, as well as the genes of the cheetah. Her bones are hollow, but the bone matter itself is extremely strong because of the mixture of genes she was given. She is C12, the prior 11 subjects expired due to various reasons, such as problems with their bones, insufficient muscle mass, too much muscle mass, poor metabolic processes to keep up with the expenditure of energy, so on. 

“Feline and human DNA proved quite difficult to integrate, but we managed it at long last, and C12 is the result. For Pantha, she is subject P3, it took very few tries to get her because of our breakthrough with C12."

As the poor girl shuffles into the light with her sister, her emaciated frame comes into view. Her movements are awkward and rigid, and she stumbles drowsily, as if unable to keep herself upright, or walk properly. Pantha barely spares her a glance when the other finally makes it to stand by her side, her silhouette frail and weak-looking, as compared to the other.  Her reddish hair is short and stiff, sticking up at odd angles, and her ears are sharp, and tapered to fine points, unlike her fellow cellmate’s. But Diana could see why the doctor said she was powerful — she could see the lean muscles under the girl’s skin, rippling like liquid mercury when she moves.

"Come forward, if you would please, everyone, feel free to take a look. If you wish to examine certain parts of them, my men will be able to assist you."

She hangs back while the rest move, feeling absolutely repulsed. They are treating these girls like tools, items, exhibits. Like they don't have feelings and are not deserving of rights of any kind, although they are humans as well.

"Does she work?" Herr Müller says.

"When she is not sedated, she is temperamental, but her abilities are astounding. Super speed and strength, she is faster than a train and can lift cars, and has incredibly keen hearing. Both Felines can also see in the dark."

The general responds,"How do you plan to subdue them, once they are no longer in the cage? Are they even functional for missions?”

"Which is why I wish to show you a separate phase of our project." A younger scientist appears quite suddenly at one of the side doors that open to a passageway, leading out of the main presentation.

"Follow my colleague, if you would please." Diana finds her way back to Herr Müller just as the crowd starts to move.

"General Müller?"

"Yes, darling?"

She titters, trying to look rather embarrassed by her request. "I am afraid I have lost my fiancé to his favorite cigars. Would it be too much for me to ask if I could join your party?"

The man immediately ushers her into his gaggle of his subordinates and their dates. "Well, that is just terribly unbecoming of Wagner. Come, come, my dear, we are more than happy to have you join us."

Her first goal to infiltrate one of the groups in the crowd is complete. Now to find Penny and Iro, as well as all the other metas.

"So, tell me Diana, how do you find the presentation so far?" Müller says.

She moves closer to he, in an attempt to avoid another member of the audience. With her keen hearing, she detects a slight quickening of his heartbeat, and has to hold back her smirk, "I think it is all quite...interesting. If the girls truly have all the abilities Dr. Mengele boasted, then they shall truly be assets that show in Germany's ability to produce highly advanced technology." Herr Müller nods in approval as they round a corner.

"Well put, well put. However, my dear, you should know that we strive not only for greatness here, in our magnificent motherland of Germany."

As they near a double door guarded by four soldiers at the end of the corridor, Diana turns to the man.

"What else do you strive for then?"

The smile that Müller gives her shall forever be burned in her memory.

"Purity, Diana. Purity."

The doors open to admit them into the threshold of an empty and small, but spacious lab. She notes with a start that there are four other guards posted inside the lab, standing at the corners of the room. It makes her wonder why, until one of the small side doors open and a girl and a man appear.

The girl's hair is a blinding blonde. Tim, Len, and Mark all had dark-colored hair, but from her complexion, Diana knows immediately that she is from the same family. Her skin is bone white, but has the same metallic luster that the boys all had. She has her hands locked to the front with heavy cuffs, and is wearing a white shift dress, but it looked dirty in contrast with her snowy skin. For her, her tattoo was on her exposed right arm, just under the right shoulder, a bold and stylistic 'Pt'. She looks miserable.

This must be Penny. As she and her caretaker arrive at the table, two more white-coated men appear both grim and straight-faced.

"Everyone, these are our lead scientists in our neurospinal lab. This is Dr. Weigel, Dr. Lange, and their lab assistant Mr Roth. This girl is one if the metahumans we managed to obtain to help us with our work and the manufacture of electronic equipment. Her ability to generate Platinum is very useful in the production of artificial spinal frames."

As the scientist, Dr. Weigel, goes on to explain the mechanisms and workings of the technology, Diana makes a movement to draw near, purposefully moving so that her dress catches the light. The glittering gown manages to catch Penny's eye, and she looks up from her downcast gaze which was previously fixed on her bare feet. Her jaw drops open when she recognises her dress.

As the scientists move the crowd to a separate table to look at the material, the assistant stays behind with the girl. Penny snaps her mouth shut and their eyes meet.

**_Help._ **

Diana turns, clasping her hands behind her back and rotating her wrist repeatedly to get Penny's attention. She takes a quick check and sees her watching. So she begins, tapping on her wrist to spell out the message in Morse.

_We are coming for you at 10. Be ready._

She repeats the message 3 times until Penny coughs loudly. A few people turn to look, but Diana keeps her eyes on the demonstration of the contraptions on the table.

"Herr Müller," he glances towards her at her whisper, "how will the... spinal frame be used?"

"It will be made to fit the spine of the subject itself. Before the agent goes out into the field, the frame will be embedded into their spinal column," he murmurs back, eyes not moving away from the table, where one of the scientists was now demonstrating the technology with a small rabbit. "He is explaining exactly how."

Dr. Weigel straps a netting over the rabbit, pinning it gently to the metal table. Under the covering, while Dr. Lange talks. Diana squints and spots the pink, knobbly scar running down the length of the rabbit’s back.

"... If the agent is disobedient, the column will be activated to give off a electrical signal similar to that of the pain fibers and receptors, effectively exciting the nerve-endings. It will look something like this," Dr. Lange moves the electrical board placed at the end of the table. Once he activated it, the rabbit stiffened for a second, and to her horror, started writhing beneath the net. The scientist lets it suffer, continuing, "The agent will be in excruciating pain until they promise to obey, at which point the signal would be halted. But while the device is activated, no actual physical harm will come to the subject."

"Will this be done for the humans we turn? Or the metas we already have?"

"Presently, we only have five metahumans, not including Pantha and Cheetah, and all are flight risks, so we will not be able to use them as agents. However, we are planning to replicate their abilities in our soldiers. Animal trials for that project have already begun."

At this point, Diana is no longer listening. She finds herself, once again, appalled by the sheer cruelty these humans are willing to inflict of a fellow member of the same species, just for the sake of furthering their own causes. It is incomprehensible, not to mention barbaric.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm with this party, sorry, let me through please—"

She whips around just in time to see Steve entering the room, looking slightly disheveled but in one piece. He greets Müller, who acknowledges it with only a nod, clearly preoccupied with the presentation at hand.

"Got lost on the way back." He slips his hand in her and pulls her away a short distance from the group as he reaches her. He smells like cigarette smoke, and looks windswept, but as they move, he gave her hand a squeeze and she knows he has completed his task as well.

"Thank goodness, I was starting to worry." As she leans towards him to kiss his cheek, she murmurs into his ear, "They know. Penny is over there."

"Just to let you know, the cats are to follow." When she looks at him in askance, "I saw them on the way in."

"Oh, yes. We can't leave them."

"Anybody else?"

"Only five metas, including Penny. Other than that..." she shook her head.

"Good. Because I started a fire."

"A— wait, what??!?"

The faint sound of sirens start, in the distance. Everyone halts in their tracks as one of the guards radios out, likely to check legitimacy of the alarm. Her hand tightens instinctively around Steve's, and their rings meet with a muted clink.

"Also, I passed by Chemo on the way here. He looked very angry, so I let him out."

As if on cue, there was a monstrous roar that ripped through the facility, echoing from somewhere nearby.

Everyone freezes. Then a woman starts to scream.

The audience makes a beeline for the door, forcing Diana and Steve to have move towards the wall to avoid being trampled. Past the crowd, Diana can see Penny being dragged off by her personal guard, eyes wide and fearful. She tugs Steve's hand.

"Penny."

He takes a look in her line of sight and turns to her, surprising her with a quick kiss on the lips.

"I will get the two and meet you outside, back of the labs." Something cold and heavy is pressed into her hands. "Go get 'em, Angel."

As he gets swallowed into the crowd, Diana looks down at the item he has given her. Her heart skips a beat.

Her coronet. He had it on him all along. Without hesitation, she tugs out the hair grip holding her bun in place, slides on the headpiece.

Great Hera, it feels good to be back.

The guard beside Penny is taken down in an instant, and the girl looks at her, wide-eyed with wonder as she strips him of his weapons. She hands the metahuman a pistol as she tucks a knife in to one of the empty sheaths hidden in her dress.

"We're leaving. Where are they?"

"On the other side of the facility."

She nods and pats her back, indicating for the girl to climb on.

"Take me to them."

* * *

 

10 minutes later finds them at the lawn, facing the rear end of the laboratory. She scans her charges and does a head count as they all come to halt behind her, panting slightly from their escape.

"Excuse me," the young boy with blank green eyes tugs on her arm, voice thick with an accent, "Did you see Rosie?"

He is Russian, she realizes, placing his accent. He did not speak a single word with Penny and Iro brought him out of his cell, but displayed extraordinary strength and seemed to have the ability to control fire; without him, Diana doubts that any of them would have made it out of the now raging inferno. The higher levels are fully engulfed, leaving only the lower levels… she desperately hopes Steve didn’t venture upwards. He still has those terrible scars from his burns from his plane crash, years ago — she remembers how long they took to heal, and the agony they put him through every time he moved wrongly or brushed against something by accident.

She snaps back to reality. "Who is Rosie?"

"The panther girl. Black fur, this tall." Offers Iro, scanning the field for his sister

"Oh, yes. Steve's getting her." She turns to the boy, "Your name is?"

"Leonid Konstantinovitch Kovar, but eweryone calls me Kov. Vas Rosie okay, vhen you saw her? They ‘aven't been shocking her, ‘ave they?"

"She's fine, they didn't shock her. They did shock the other girl though."

"Barbara?"

Penny finally arrives with a middle-aged man, dressed in drab prison clothing and scowling like he just ate something sour.

"Is everyone here?" she says breathlessly when she reaches them. Diana nods and looks at the new member of their strange group.

"You are...?"

"They call me Warp. I'm not stupid enough to tell you my real name." She frowns at his snappy reply. He was quite rude. "I'm not like you guys, ain't interested in any of this superhero bullshit, so don't expect me to go running back into the building again for any of you—"

"Yeah, yeah, shut your trap, Warp. We don't give a damn about your skewed principles," Iro drawls, cutting the man off. He is at least two heads taller than the villain and has about three times as many muscles. Diana is starting to like this man, "We saved your life, you get us out of here, and we are quits. Got it, asshole?"

The man clams up, glaring at the larger man.

“Diana!”

She whips around to see a figure, sprinting towards them, something limp and motionless cradled in his arms. Beside him, there is a creature on all fours, leaping forwards to them in great bounds. They cut a strange picture against the backdrop of the razing building.

“Kov!” So the panther girl can speak, Diana muses as the cat-child leaps towards her friend, knocking him to the ground. Steve reaches them and sets down the precious cargo in his arms, the Cheetah girl. She looks slightly shaky and weak, but is looking at Steve with poorly concealed awe. Her hands are twisted into his shirt, and she shows no signs of letting go.

"This is Barbara. Barbara, this here is Diana, and I believe you have already met Kovar, Penny and Iro. They'll help you get out of here, ok?" He pulls away from the girl in attempt to turn to Diana to talk, but the young girl holds on tight to him, refusing to budge. Steve pauses and shoots her a look that is half torn, half exasperated.

"Kiddo, you have to let me go, alright? I need to have a talk with Diana here, then I'll get back to you. Can you do that for me, Barb?"

The girl takes a moment, eyes flitting from Steve to Diana. At long last she gives a forlorn nod and loosens her grip on the soldier's.

"Thank you. Di, over here."

The two of them move off to a side.

"Is that girl fine?"

"Yeah, she is, just a little groggy from the stuff they keep sedating her with," he says, "she, ah... has attachment issues, apparently I was the only officer that ever talked to her like she was a human and not a weapon in a cage. In fact, that probably goes for Kov and Rosie as well, but they came in together as friends, so at least they have someone. Barbara was captured alone."

"You... love her?" She felt oddly like they had reverted back to that moment where he asked about her ring, except this time, the roles were reversed.

"Yes; I mean, she is like a little sister to me, Angel. She actually reminds me of my sister back home. They are both so similar..."

As Steve trails off wistfully, eyes wandering from Diana's face, she feels the tight hold of what felt admittedly like envy release itself on her heart. She recollects herself, and looks about the quiet yard they are in. Behind Steve, a small explosion lets out a plume of flames and Chemo's rage-filled bellow can be heard faintly. The sound seems to jerk her lover out of his reverie.

"Steve, so what do we do now?"

"You are to leave. Warp will take each and everyone of you to wherever you wish to go, at which point, his deal with me ends and he can collect his payment from my apartment. He knows where it is." He starts rummaging through his coat for something, "i have already made arrangements for you to follow Penny and the rest to New York, in America. When you get there, I need you to take these papers and bring them to Etta at this address."

A relatively thick binder of documents is pushed into her hands, along with a scrap of paper he pulls from his breast pocket. There is an address on it. She processes his instructions, and something dawns upon her.

"Wait. Are you not coming with us?"

He is about to answer, but Chemo's enraged yowls interrupt him. The meta still sounds like he was putting up a fight, but the roars were waning in intensity. He is losing.

"Steve," Iro and Penny appear to have noticed as well and has made their way over to the two rescuers, "we have to go, now. Chemo doesn't sound like he's having a good time, and I really don’t want to wait long enough for that to become us."

"Of course, of course. Y'all know what Warp can do right? He knows his job. Penny, give him your address and he will take you right to it. Ask Rosie, Kov, and Barb to do the same as well." He hesitates, "If Barbara doesn't know where to go, take her with you. I left Tim enough money for one more ticket to London and New York."

"Understood."

Iro reaches over and grips Steve's shoulder. "Trevor, I am not sure how my family can possibly repay you for this. You sure you will be alright?"

"I'll be just fine, Iro, and as for repaying me, you can do that by making sure the kids get somewhere safe, and getting Diana to New York." As if by instinct, he reaches for her hand. But this time, she does not give in to him.

"Steve, what are you saying?"

He exhales heavily and shoots Iro and Penny a imploring look. The siblings seem to comprehend and move away, returning to the ragtag group to round up the children and give Warp his instructions. 

"Listen," he rests a hand on the folder she is holding in her hand, "These papers could save us all, Diana. You have to go to New York, find Etta and hand this to her. She will be able to get it to the FBI and Secret Service. They will know what to do with it."

"But Steve, what about you?"

**_I can't leave you behind, not again._ **

"I will be fine, Angel. Don’t worry. Wait for me in New York, I will come find you there, at Etta’s address."

"Love, darling, _wait_ —"

He holds her face in his hands, staring deep into her eyes. "I have to go now, princess."

His hair is tinted red by the firelight, and his blue eyes are nearly silver in the dark. She struggles to find words, but finds that she has none, so she opts instead to reach up and run her trembling fingertips over the contours of his face, trying to etch the image of him into her memory, trying not to sob.

"Steve." She whispers and suddenly they are kissing. She breathes him in eagerly, the smell of smoke, spearmint gum, and love. So much love. She breathes like she is drowning and he is her last breath of air. Oh, how her heart aches and longs for him with equal measure. Then he pulls away, and there are crystal tears in his eyes, his voice is thick, and she knows he feels the same way as well. They don't have words this time, for he will return to her, and she will have time to say those three words to him once more.

"I will see you on the other side."

He releases her and she feels a cold slender hand take her arm. Penny. She allows herself to be pulled away, towards the others, who are waiting at the mouth of a portal ringed by a soft pulsing circle of yellow light.

The last thing she sees is Steve, his hand half-raised in a farewell.

The window closes.

**Author's Note:**

> I know, this extension is huge af HAHA 
> 
> Once again, the prelude and epilogue to this story can be found [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11233578/chapters/25474587).
> 
> Do let me know what you think! Comments are love <3


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